Adjunct for tobacco



Patented Jan. 8, 1946 UNITED STATES 2,392,514 PATENT OFFICE ADJUNCT FOR TOBACCO No Drawing. Application October-27, 1943, Serial No. 507,893

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 75'!) 12 Claims.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for overnmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

Our invention relates to the use of myosmine as an adjunct to tobacco. The common tobacco of commerce reputedly contains the following alkaloids: nicotine, nornicotine, anabasine, N- methyl anabasine, nicotyrine, nicotimine, nicotelline, anatabine, N-methyl anatabine, and 2:3 dipyridyl. It has been reported that two additional alkaloids, nicotoine and isonicoteine, occur in Turkish tobacco. Most of the so-called minor alkaloids are present in only minute quantities and in many cases the chemical structures have not been determined.

In addition to the above-named alkaloidal constituents of tobacco, a number of alkaloids, which do not normally occur in tobacco, have been isolated from tobacco smoke. The following nitrogenous bases, not present in the tobacco plant,

have been allegedly detected in tobacco smoke: alpha-socratine, beta-socratine, gamma-socratine, obeline, lohitam, lathreine, anodmine, and myosmine.

01 the above-named alkaloids isolated from tobacco smoke, only myosmine has been extensively studied. A previously postulated chemical structure of myosmine has been confirmed by a synthetic method involving the condensation of N-benzoyl pyrrolidone with ethyl nicotinate and subsequent hydrolysis of the condensed product with fuming hydrochloric acid under pressure.

Although it has been reported that myosmine is responsible, wholly or in part, for the aroma of cigar smoke, the eflect of myosmine on the flavor of tobacco and tobacco smoke has not been investigated. We have found that myosmine imparts a characteristic flavor to tobacco and tobacco smoke when present in only very small quantities. Although the minimum quantity of myosmine required to bestow this unique flavor to tobacco and tobacco smoke will vary according to personal taste, the following quantities have been recognizable in tests: 0.5 mg. myosmine in a cigarette weighing 1.05 g.; 1.0 mg. myosmine in a cigar weighing 7.3 g.; 1.0 mg. myosmine in 5 g. pipe tobacco. It is to be noted that these quantitles are not stipulated as optimum or minimum concentrations but are oflered solely to exemplify this disclosure.

As a first example, a cigar was uniforml wet with 10 drops oi distilled, water containing 1 mg. myosmine. A second cigar of the same brand was treated with 10 drops distilled water. After drying, both cigars were smoked to ascertain the efiect of the added myosmine. A smoker unfamiliar with the processing expressed a preference for the cigar to which myosmine had been added.

As a second example, a commercial brand of cigarettes was divided into groups. Each cigarette of one group was uniformly wet with 10 drops distilled water containing 8 mg, myosmine while the members of the control group were uniformly treated with 10 drops distilled water. The cigarettes were then dried at room temperature. A difference in the smoke flavor was readily detectable by eleven individuals who smoked the myosmine-treated and the untreated cigarettes. This difference was also detectable between cigarettes containing 0.5 mg. myosmine and untreated cigarettes of the same brand.

As a third example, the smoke from 5 g. pipe tobacco containing 1 mg. myosmine difiered appreciably in flavor from untreated pipe tobacco of the same brand. A difference in taste between the treated and untreated tobacco was also detectable.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. Smoking tobacco having myosmine incorporated therewith.

2. Cigarette tobacco having a minor amoi it of myosmine incorporated therewith as a flavoring agent. 7

3. Cigar tobacco having a minor amount of myosmine incorporated therewith as a flavoring agent.

4. Pipe tobacco having a minor amount of myosmine incorporated therewith as a flavoring agent.

5. A new product consisting of smoking tobacco and myosmine.

6. A new product consisting of cigarette tobacco and myosmine.

7. A new product consisting of cigar tobacco and myosmine.

8. A new product consisting of pipe tobacco and myosmine.

9. The process which comprises incorporating myosmine only in smoking tobacco.

10. The process which comprises incorporating myosmine only in cigarette tobacco 11. The process which comprises incorporating myosmine only in cigar tobacco.

12. The process which comprises incorporating myosmine only in pipe tobacco.

CHARLES F. WOODWARD. ABNER EISNER. PAUL G. HAINES, 

